happiness and peace

one Remember that all you have to do to be happy is decide to be happy. There will always be people who need to share their discontent and test your resolve. There will always be situations that test the limits of your good humor. You will always get to be fine if you decide that's what you want. That is what I want for you. This choice does not mean that you won't be unhappy or mad sometimes, but your own happiness is all you can control. So, control it - you are the boss of you.

two Learn how to be happy doing nothing. Being quiet and alone with yourself could be one of the best ways to find out what is going on in your heart and your head. This isn't as easy as it sounds and you may have to work at it. Find ways to marinate in silence without TV or music or video games. Learn how to shut down your brain and just breathe.

three Know that almost everybody does the best they can and almost nobody wakes up in the morning and thinks "I'm going to ruin some lives and destroy things today." To that end, it's kind-of your job to mind the people you surround yourself with. You will know, pretty quickly, if you've let someone on your island who is filled with anger and poison intentions. It's pretty unlikely that you will change that in anyone and the chances are great that you will get some of their malcontent on you, so learn to walk away and let it go.

copyright 2011 moemasters thesethreethings

Quiet Walks to the Masseuse

eerste Learn to retreat and spend time with yourself in peace. Meditate. Think about it. Spend a few hours (or days) not speaking or writing. Be still enough for everything within you to percolate and solidify. It will happen, I promise. It's a bit like an extended version of a "Time Out" chair. My adults always said something to the effect of, "You just go and think about what you've done." This is a kinder version of that. 

Love yourself enough to sit and be quiet with you. Just you. When you're doing it right and you've run out of things to think about (which you will) - you will think about nothing, and man, I swear, this is some good stuff. I love it when I hit the thinking about nothing place in my head. It's far too rare for me and I wish better for you. Practice this and get good at it.

tweemaal Never underestimate the restorative powers of a good walk. A walk with a friend, a walk with just yourself, a walk to someplace or a walk to nowhere - walks are just some really cool things. Wear good shoes, too. You'll find this is a reoccurring theme with me: Those are the only feet you are going to get, you had best take care of them.

derde If your knees hurt when you bend to lift a 1-ton stone, stop doing that. If it hurts your body to do something, then stop it. Don't do it. Learn your limitations. Pain is our body's way of telling us that we're not doing something right. Pay attention to it and never let it get worse if you can avoid it. Sometimes you may just need a massage too, we will discuss this soon. 

copyright 2010 moemasters